A City of delightful Charm.
Prepare yourselves for a festival, and come with me to Belem! There, the festivities start every day when the rising sun and the boats caress the mist hanging over the ochre coloured waters of the Rio Guajara. The river reaches the Mercado Ver-o-Peso, focal point of activity, where we await the arrival of the coloured boats whose holds are crammed full with fruit and fish. The instant that they tie up next to the market, the melee of running, dancing figures carrying baskets of fruit, fish and armfuls of manioc starts. Tell me if you have seen anything like it before! Impossible!
The Indians that live in the area, have given melodic sounding names to the fish that they catch, names such as Tucunare, Curimata, Acari, Cururuca and many more. In naming the local fruit, they excelled themselves; Uxi, Umari, which only exists in Para, Cutite cutitiriba with its egg yolk yellow pulp, “Pupunhas” (Spiny Peach Palm) whose fruit hang in brightly coloured bunches and Acai. This latter fruit is now of such importance, that it has its own allocated hall within the market. In the words of the Parana song writers Roffe and Mundao “There is the gift of plenty in places where many have nothing”. Acai, with its deep purple colour, is native to the low grasslands bordering rivers and water jungle and is considered to be the Amazon “Manna”, so abundantly does it grow, and so high is its nutritious value. Also we have the “Jambu” herb, with its yellow flowers and leaves which are ground up, and when chewed, give a delicious, light tingling sensation in the mouth, and wow, what taste is this? I invite you to examine the colours, shapes and perfume smells of the peppers. There are Murici, Muripi, Olho de Peixe and Boa Pimenta-de-Cheiro. For Máster chef Alex Atala, who hás travelled the world, there is no more delicious food than that found in the Amazon. He is of the opinion that “the flavours are unique and of such abundance and variety that not even the locals have tasted them all”.
The Ver o Peso market is of such importance to the “Belenense” (inhabitants of Belem) that it only closes during one day in the year, the day that honours the Rainha do Para, the Virgem de Nazare. (Queen of Para, the Virgin of Nazareth). She plays such an intimate part in the daily lives of the people and is so familiar to them that she has many affectionate names, Nazarezinha, Naza and Nazinha. The tiny image of the Virgin was found in 1700 in a narrow waterway by Placido de Souza, a native Indian of the region. The story tells that he took the image to his home, but the following day, she was back in the waters where he had first found her. After several attempts, and noting that the tiny figure always returned to the same place, the locals decided to construct a tiny chapel there, later to be transformed into a Basilica. To-day, the little Saint only leaves her Basilica on rare occasions, but when she does, she is accompanied by 2.000.000 people! The event is the festival of Cirio de Nazare, which always falls on the second weekend of October. The image leaves her Basilica placed upon a litter covered with flowers and is carried to the Icoaraci district. From there she returns in a boat, followed by hundreds of small vessels and is taken to the Catedral de Belem, where she rests for one night. Next day, she returns to her Basilica.
Throughout this journey, each participating individual may demonstrate his faith in a distinct, personal way. Boats are decorated with flowers and ribbons, children releasing balloons are dressed as angels, there are fireworks, rose petals or paper punched with holes are scattered around, people balance replicas of past blessings received on the tops of their heads, others walk on their knees or strain on the ropes that pull the litter.
Throughout the Cirio festival, artisans offer, toys made from the Miriti, a local Palm for sale. The origin of this craft of making these brightly coloured toys goes back to the time when they were used as payment for promises made to the Virgem de Nazare. It is a common sight to see model houses and boats balanced upon the heads of the pilgrims. The fact that the models are made of the very light Miriti, is a blessing at this time. The model boats and houses were so well made that they were as good as any beautifully crafted toy and almost overnight, in the tiny canoes a local Indian rowing in the Marajoara fashion, (inhabitants of Marajo Island) appeared, carrying a bundle of canes or a basket of Acai and from the forest emerge Toucans, Araras and Parrots; from the river waters, fish and porpoises, all cleverly reproduced. Also, there is no lack of images of couples dancing “Forro” and “Coretos”. As the festival comes to an end, the Saint that touched the hearts of all of the participants, enabling each one to reach the sky, returns to her niche in the Gloria Basilica It is indeed a “glory” for Para as a State, believes in her, proof being that the festival is the largest reserve of Faith on our planet.
Now, with your soul cleansed, I want to show you where the City was founded, at the Forte do Presepio, constructed by the Portuguese in 1616. Starting in the 19th century, and thanks to the new wealth created by the production of rubber, the city became embellished with the construction of beautiful mansions, squares, boulevards, and churches. Within the confines of the Fort, is housed a museum exhibiting the ceramic art of the Marajo Indians. At the side of the fort is the Santo Alexandre church, which houses the Museu de Arte Sacra, considered to be one of the most important in Brazil. In front of the fort, we find the Casa das Onze Janelas (house with eleven windows), built by a rich merchant in the 17th century. It is to-day the Museu de Arte Contemporanea, which houses exhibition rooms dedicated to creative Paraense photography. The whole area together forms the Nuclio Cultural Feliz Lusitania, in honour of the first peoples who inhabited Belem.
In the main Square at the centre of the historic city, stands one of hundreds of Mangueiras (Mango trees). But this tree is special. It is “the tree of wishes” and is brightly draped with myriad coloured ribbons. Everyone who approaches the tree is invited to choose a ribbon, write his wishes on it and hang it on one of the tree branches. The wind assumes the responsibility for delivering the messages heaven ward. In Para, Sao Sebastiao is much revered. He was killed by an arrow and tied to a tree, and is remembered by the placing of long, red tapes around images of the Saint. During the “festas joaninos” (little Joanne festivals) also, dancers tie red tapes about their person, as they do around the sailor hats used during the Festa de Sao Benedito. Red tapes are also present among the participants in the Arraial do Pavulagem procession and the “Pirros” of Sao Caetano de Odivelas. So, during your stay in Belem, please do not forget to ask the Saints to continue giving their blessing to the city and its inhabitants.
Ah, Belem!.Pay attention to the manner in which the locals pronounce words. The “em” in Belem has a croaky sound, like a bell, giving weight and a sonorous ring to the name. Belem, that opened our eyes, touched our senses, that made us cry with emotion.
The docks constructed at the end of the 19th century, complete with wrought iron warehouses prefabricated in England, were restored in 2000, and now have modern uses, such as museums, a cultural centre, spaces for shops offering quality artwork, restaurants, cafes and rest areas. In the late afternoon, you receive a special invitation; to watch the most magnificent sunset of Belem, sitting on the quayside, refreshed by the gentle Guajara breeze.